Aurora star gives nod to Buffaloes

Embroiled in controversy for months, the Colorado men's basketball program received some positive news Thursday when one of the state's top seniors-to-be gave an oral commitment to play for CU beginning with the 2007-2008 season.
Aurora Central's Stephen Franklin, a 6-foot-5 swingman, said he called CU assistant John Anderson to give his commitment.
Franklin averaged 18 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 4.8 steals as a junior for the 25-1 Trojans, who reached the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament.
Franklin picked Colorado over Washington State and Santa Clara (Calif.). He is ranked third among the state's juniors by CoHoopsTracker.com.
"I wanted to stay close to home so my family could watch me play," Franklin said. "I like CU's campus and the basketball organization. And I know CU is rebuilding, so there will be an opportunity to play early."
Franklin said he is aware that Colorado coach Ricardo Patton will be entering into the final year of his contract this season. The coach also is being investigated by the university for failure to report in a timely manner a sexual-harassment allegation against a former basketball department employee.
Because Patton's future remains unclear, Franklin said he might not sign during the early signing period in November.
"I might hold off until I know more about what will happen with Coach Patton's contract situation," Franklin said. "As of right now, all I really know now is that he is the coach at CU. The coaches were telling me that the contract could possibly be worked out."
Franklin got to play last month againstfour incoming CU freshmen - 6-8 Jeremy Williams of Memphis, 6-6 Dale Vanwright of Houston, 6-5 Xavier Silas of Brewster (N.H.) Academy and 6-2 Dwight Thorne of Arlington, Texas - during the Joint Effort Colorado Hoops Festival at Metro State.
"They're all good guys, and I know they'd be good teammates," Franklin said. "They were so unselfish with the ball, it looked like they'd been playing together for a long time."
Aurora Central coach Bob Caton called Franklin "an outstanding athlete" with a bright future. "I think a lot more college recruiters will notice Stephen this season," he said.
Among the state's current junior class, CoHoopsTracker.com rates Franklin behind only 6-9 Andrew Hooper of D'Evelyn and 6-1 Devin Aguilar of Mullen. Hooper has been offered a scholarship by Colorado. Aguilar may play football instead of basketball in college.
Franklin would become the first in-state player signed by CU since 2003, when 6-9 Marcus King-Stockton of Colorado Academy committed to the Buffs.

NCAA sends out warning

The NCAA is trimming the gray area from eligibility rules for underclassmen entering the NBA draft.
However, player-agent Bill Neff said that's a futile exercise, with many in his profession cutting under-the-table deals with players.
The NCAA recently distributed a four-page memo, reminding schools what underclassmen can and cannot do to test their NBA marketability. The memo warns underclassmen not to accept travel expenses from NBA basketball teams, though that's been common practice in the past.
One of the authors of that memo said its purpose is heading off trouble and, potentially, holding rule-breakers accountable.
"It's fair to say we've had multiple student-athletes facing possible violations of NCAA rules," said Rachel Newman Baker, the NCAA's director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities. "We're trying to avoid (those problems), so we're not dealing with it next semester."
The NCAA now requires underclassmen in the draft to sign forms, stating they know the rules and understand the risk to their eligibility.
"We want it very clear up front," Newman Baker said, "if we do get into investigating a case, the `I-didn't-know' answer will not work."
The NCAA dealt with messy situations the past few years, involving former Connecticut forward Charlie Villanueva and current Kentucky center Randolph Morris. Each turned pro and had contact with an agent, only to pull out of the draft and seek to play college basketball.
In both cases, the NCAA ultimately granted eligibility.
The situation is complex. For instance, the NCAA allows the NBA to cover expenses for an underclassman to attend the pre-draft camp. But an individual NBA team cannot pay to fly in an underclassman for a workout without jeopardizing that player's eligibility.
Charlotte Bobcats coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff didn't know the NCAA draws that distinction. Jon Fagg, assistant athletics director for compliance services at N.C. State, said that rule is frequently disregarded, similar to how people absent-mindedly exceed the speed limit.
"If you drive to work, I guarantee there's a place where you speed a little every day," Fagg said of athletes accepting expenses they shouldn't. "Do you drive to the police station and turn yourself in? No."
That's why Fagg is glad the NCAA distributed this memo, eliminating any gray areas for underclassmen looking to preserve eligibility. N.C. State has already used it to guide sophomore center Cedric Simmons through the process.

Colorado vs. Missouri

Richard Roby and Jayson Obazuaye scored 15 points each as Colorado ended a two-game losing streak with a 78-60 rout of Missouri on Saturday.
Nick Eddy added 12 points for Colorado (18-7, 8-6 Big 12 Conference). The Buffaloes managed only 3-for-22 shooting on 3-pointers but scored 44 of its points inside the paint.
Thomas Gardner had 19 points to reach 1,007 career points and become the 37th player in school history to score 1,000 points. Kevin Young, 13 points, and Jason Horton, 10, reached double-figures for Missouri (11-14, 4-10).
The Tigers are 1-3 since Quin Snyder resigned as coach on Feb. 10 and have averaged 57.4 points and 38 percent shooting over last their 10 games, going 1-9.
Missouri's tight man-to-man defense and 16 points from Gardner helped build a 28-13 lead with 9:11 left in the first half. The Tigers self-destructed the rest of the half, missing 9-of-11 shots including two uncontested lay-ups, and turning the ball over six times to open the door for a Colorado comeback.
Colorado replied with a 21-4 run. Eddy sparked the run with nine of the points, had two free throws to tie the game at 30 with 1:56 left and his layup sent the Buffaloes into intermission with a 34-32 edge.
The Buffaloes, 3-for-11 on 3-pointers in the first half, turned to its inside game after the break. Eddy had one of the team's three lay-ups to start the half to increase their lead to 40-34 early and after Gardner's jumper cut the lead to 40-38, Colorado had seven baskets, all well within the 3-point arc, in a 17-3 run to make it 57-41 with 10:45 left.
Missouri, which shot 37 percent and scored 28 points in the second half, got a layup from Young, but promptly gave up two lay-ups to reserve Marcus King-Stockton and three more to make it a 67-44 bulge with 7:20 left.

NCAA Game Summary - Texas Tech At Colorado

Boulder, CO -- (Sports Network) - Richard Roby scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Colorado Buffaloes team to a 66-64 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Big 12 play.
Marcus Hall and Martane Freeman each netted 13 points in the victory for the Buffaloes (16-5, 6-4 Big12), while Andy Osborn added 11 points.
Jarrius Jackson paced the Red Raiders (12-12, 4-6) with 18 points and seven assists. Martin Zeno added 17 points and Darryl Dora had 13 in the loss.
Colorado carried a 30-25 lead into halftime despite shooting a dismal 27.3 percent from the field in the first half The Red Raiders fought back in the second period on 45.9 percent shooting from the floor, but the Buffaloes converted 14-of-17 free throws to hold on for the two-point victory.
The Colorado bench outscored the Texas Tech bench, 23-4, and the Buffaloes also dominated the boards, 51-39.

NCAA Game Summary - Kansas State At Colorado

Boulder, CO -- Richard Roby scored 18 points to lead the Colorado Buffaloes team past the Kansas State Wildcats, 79-75, in Big 12 action from the Coors Event Center.Chris Copeland also got involved, scoring 17 points for the Buffaloes (15-3, 5-2 Big 12), while Martane Freeman and Marcus Hall added 12 points apiece. The Wildcats (12-5, 3-3) were led by Cartier Martin who scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win. Lance Harris also got involved, scoring 23 points off the bench, while David Hoskins chipped in with 10 points. Both teams shot the ball well in the first half, playing to a 35-35 tie at the break. Colorado took over in the second half, shooting 43.8 percent from the field, and made 12-of-17 free throws down the stretch en route the four-point victory. The Buffaloes dominated Kansas State in the post, outscoring the Wildcats 30-20 in the paint.